How do I install SSD w/o disconnecting stock HDD and get it to boot?

LeftC · 03 May 2013

I'm installing a SSD in a Dell laptop using a caddy to mount the SSD in the DVD's location. I am not able to remove the stock HDD or disconnect the HHD's SATA cable.

Using easyBCD, will I be able to move the "System" files in the Recovery partition to the C partition on the HDD? In the Disk Management snip above, Disk 0 is the HDD and Disk 1 is the SSD>

After this, should the C partition be the only active partition then? Shouldn't easyBCD mark it active or do I change it using an elevated command prompt?

When I migrate the C partition to the SSD using Paragon's Migrate OS to SSD, do I then mark the HDD inactive or do I do this before migrating? I'm confused?

The HDD is a fresh install back to the laptop's original state. The 102 MB partition's information has been deleted and not recovered. It was a Fat 16 partition originally. The recovery partition has not been tampered with, I believe.

I've been trying to do this for a while using different cloning/migration tools, but I keep having boot problems mainly caused by the fact the I can't remove or disconnect the stock HDD. Can you help me get around this problem?

EDIT: There is also a problem in BIOS with the SSD showing up too. In the main BIOS screen, both the HHD and SSD are shown. But in the boot order screen in BIOS, the SSD isn't listed. The HHD and all the other selections are shown. The SSD is mounted where the DVD usually goes using a caddy.

Comp Cmndo · 04 May 2013

LeftC said:

...

There is also a problem in BIOS with the SSD showing up too. In the main BIOS screen, both the HHD and SSD are shown. But in the boot order screen in BIOS, the SSD isn't listed. The HHD and all the other selections are shown. The SSD is mounted where the DVD usually goes using a caddy.

It seems that HDD or SDD installed in DVD caddy is not bootable. I've seen this on other laptops & your BIOS seems to confirm same on your laptop.

SSD must be installed where HDD now resides.

http://www.dell.com/support/Manuals/...iron-17r-n7110
See p.49 of Service Manual for HDD removal.

whs · 04 May 2013

Do this:

1. Copy the bootmgr to C - Bootmgr - Move to C:\ with EasyBCD

2. Use the Paragon tool to migrate C to the SSD.

If you don't copy the bootmgr first, the paragon tool will also move the Dell recovery partition to the SSD. With these 2 steps the question of active and inactive will be taken care of automatically for C. The MBR will be updated in step 2. You only may want to inactivate the recovery partition on disk0. You also have to change the BIOS boot sequence to make the SSD #2 (#1 should be the optical drive).

LeftC · 04 May 2013

Comp Cmndo said:

LeftC said:

...

There is also a problem in BIOS with the SSD showing up too. In the main BIOS screen, both the HHD and SSD are shown. But in the boot order screen in BIOS, the SSD isn't listed. The HHD and all the other selections are shown. The SSD is mounted where the DVD usually goes using a caddy.

It seems that HDD or SDD installed in DVD caddy is not bootable. I've seen this on other laptops & your BIOS seems to confirm same on your laptop.

SSD must be installed where HDD now resides.

Manuals and Documents for Inspiron 17R N7110 | Dell US
See p.49 of Service Manual for HDD removal.

That makes sense looking at it that way, but I have been using my SSD some with various clone tools, The boot info stays on the HDD though.

I could do the drive swap if I was home. I'm in a nursing home recovering from surgeries. I really don't have a work place to work. The keyboard, palm rest, and the top plastic case portion are removed to get to the HDD plus there are several cables that need to be disconnected. Disassemble/Assemble Inspiron N7110 i17R 17R (Keyboard, palmrest, hard drive) - YouTube

The swapping drives process doesn't look very hard, I just can't work on it while in bed and using my serving cart for a work bench.

I've read about several work-arounds; I just can't get my efforts to work correctly.

LeftC · 04 May 2013

whs said:

Do this:

1. Copy the bootmgr to C - Bootmgr - Move to C:\ with EasyBCD

This part seems successful. The "system" is moved to the C partition and it is made active. See snip.

How do I install SSD w/o disconnecting stock HDD and get it to boot?-capture-dm-after-easybcd-move-system-c-made-active-5-3-13.png

whs said:

You also have to change the BIOS boot sequence to make the SSD #2 (#1 should be the optical drive).

I posted this edit after my original post. The SSD doesn't show up in the boot order screen in BIOS, but it is listed in the main BIOS screen along with the stock HDD. But, I have had it to boot first somehow. Any suggestions??

EDIT: There is also a problem in BIOS with the SSD showing up too. In the main BIOS screen, both the HDD and SSD are shown. But in the boot order screen in BIOS, the SSD isn't listed. The HHD and all the other selections are shown. The SSD is mounted where the DVD usually goes using a caddy.

whs said:

2. Use the Paragon tool to migrate C to the SSD.

If you don't copy the bootmgr first, the paragon tool will also move the Dell recovery partition to the SSD. With these 2 steps the question of active and inactive will be taken care of automatically for C. The MBR will be updated in step 2. You only may want to inactivate the recovery partition on disk 0.

At what point do I inactivate the recovery partition on disk 0?

Mark Phelps · 05 May 2013

Comp Cmndo said:

It seems that HDD or SDD installed in DVD caddy is not bootable. I've seen this on other laptops & your BIOS seems to confirm same on your laptop.

SSD must be installed where HDD now resides.

Had a Fujitsu laptop that also had a drive bay, and it was the same problem -- could use a hard drive in a caddy slid into the bay, but could not boot from it.

whs · 05 May 2013

At what point do I inactivate the recovery partition on disk 0?

Now that you copied the bootmgr to C, it should actually been deactivated. Check that in Disk Management. Was my bad that I did not think of that.

LeftC · 06 May 2013

Mark Phelps said:

Comp Cmndo said:

It seems that HDD or SDD installed in DVD caddy is not bootable. I've seen this on other laptops & your BIOS seems to confirm same on your laptop.

SSD must be installed where HDD now resides.

Had a Fujitsu laptop that also had a drive bay, and it was the same problem -- could use a hard drive in a caddy slid into the bay, but could not boot from it.

I've had it booting from the SSD while in the caddy during several different configurations and used it like that for a while.

My problem was twofold. One is that not all of the SSD's programs were on the SSD. Boot info was on the HDD. Eventhough it worked, I didn't like it that way. My other problem is that I am healing from a bad leg injury in a nursing home and I get bored. Playing with configuring this laptop has been fun. :)

LeftC · 06 May 2013

whs said:

At what point do I inactivate the recovery partition on disk 0?

Now that you copied the bootmgr to C, it should actually been deactivated. Check that in Disk Management. Was my bad that I did not think of that.

It was deactivated as you said.

I had to do the 3 startup repair routine to get it going (for some reason that I do not understand; the SSD had all it needed to boot, I thought). When I did insert the Win 7 disk, like a dummy; I put the wrong Win 7 instal disk in. I put in Home Premium instead of Ultimate. I had to fix this. More startup repairs with the right disk fix it. Here are some disk management snips. One is after Paragon Migration (OS only to SSD) and the other is after HDD delete.